Sunday, 31 October 2010

Texan Grinders Kill the Clienthave racked up a third full length instalment to their prestigious résumé, which thus far has taken them well up the chain to establish themselves amongst the greatest Grind bands out there.Set for Extinction operates on a stranglehold of wrought knotted obstreperous aggression, that manifests itself in a strong arm of thundering Grindcore, pounding at your senses again and again all the whilst possessing an abrasive attraction to its destructive allure.Opening up with a sample from a how to survive a nuclear war documentarythey set a foreboding tone which coupled with their bitter instrumental spewing makes for a dynamic that conflicts the most brutish of instincts; fear and rage, drawing out the primitive man into their lyrical backdrop being the current decay of civilisation. Kill the Client have always had a good formula for presenting a bludgeoning cacophony, however Set for Extinction has brought out the occasional captivating twist, track 7 Pandemic is an epilepsy inducing overdose of Grind as Kill the Client stamp in just 2 minutes about any influence under the sun to create a Pandora's box of Grindcore, which is executed in a manner worthy of the greats. Additionally we have Kill the Client take a blast at the realm of Gore, The Walking Dead being an odious operetta of gore and guttural clamour, whilst still retaining a heavy presence of straight up chainsaw in your face Grindcore.Throughout lyrics are en par with the instruments in the hatred department, and they unleash a dark blasting tongue of vehement poetry, touching on topics of war, anarchy and genocide.Set for Extinction, while rupturing your ear drum will tear apart that inner zen of calm and tranquility you possess, and reduce you to a mindless head-banging slave to its blastbeats, truelly a sign of a masterpiece. May I welcome Kill the Client as permanent residents to the infamous Grindcore hall of fame.

Saturday, 23 October 2010

Over at Metal Undeground I have picked up a nice piece of news regarding our favourite active Texan Grinders (R.I.P. Insect Warfare) Kill the Client, regarding their new album Set for Extinction. The tracks are available to stream on their myspace after a quick listen through it definitely seems like Kill the Client still have that cacophonous power in full swing, but don't take my word for it listen to it right here.Enjoy.

Thursday, 21 October 2010

Mix tapes aren't exactly my territory, but I thought in conforming with blogging etiquette and to generate a bit of buzz I would make my very first, despite having my doubts about copyright infringement.
So a little while back over at G&P there was a interesting debate as to which Swedish band held the post-Nasum crown, although I was personally rooted for Afgrund it made me realise that Sweden has some of the greatest Grindcore bands, and probably the most amount of good locally sourced grind per capita, which is a unit I have invented to measure how awesome countries are in relation to amount of good Grindcore artists over the total population, which in real life will become part of a grand project I am planning, although the said project is still in the thought process of my cerebral cogs.
So I have left a little time in case Mr.Childers himself wanted to release this sort of comp, given that it was his site that had the debate, but the time has past so I have taken my opportunity.
I decided to feature one track per artist, and not necessarily their best track, but a track that would best epitomise their styles and quirks, in total there are 16 tracks of some of Sweden's greatest grinders old and new.

Enjoy the following compilation, hopefully it will introduce you to some good bands, and if you are an artist/record label whose material has been uploaded, firstly I would like to say that I a merely promoting your artist, chances are someone will buy something of your music after hearing a song they like on this coupled with a bit of research, so in a way making this free is making you money, however if you still wish for me to remove you from the list please email me or leave a comment below, I may however need proof you are who you say you are so be prepared.

Friday, 15 October 2010

By the time I have finished this review, Agathocles have probably dished out another few dozen releases, once again initiating the painstakingly and time consuming game of catch up for a collector such as myself to keep on top of their infamous portfolio which I might add Metal Archives is missing plenty of.
If one was to pick to any review about an Agathocles split, there is a 99% chance I could copy and paste the review of the Agathoclean half to this post and the lifted review would apply to their half of this split also. Agathocles aren't known for their creativity, Their trademark lo-fi, plenty of reverb and simple yet messy tracks leave their music stuck in the 80's punk and early grind scene, but thats cool we all like Back to the Future and other landmarks of the 80's. For better or for worse they stick to their formula, and for me personally it works, and that is all their half is; straight up Agathocles, no twists or surprises just raw mincing grindcore mayhem, the way we like our politically charged grind. In fact I do lie a tad, there is something unique about this, and that is it comes on 8" square flexi-disc(yes an actual square), although highly impractical it adds a unique factor to their generic formula.
As for Black September they are named after a terrorist organisation, a un-pc theme they play strongly on to create a highly comical monologue before entering their low production value loud punk, although the low production can be attributed to that the release is a live recording. Their half is a set of hilarious gags contrasting the stereotypes of Islam fundamentalism and of American contemporary politics in a manner akin to Borat crossed with Achmed the Terrorist, and the transition between jokes and music is executed well and leaves a smile on your face as your ears a given a sucker punch of live audio.

Thursday, 7 October 2010

Early Grindcore rooted in its punk origins has as a staunch anti-capitalist stance, a standpoint still practised by many of the crusties and mincemaniacs still in the genre and the term Grindcore itself has become a term which encapsulates and epitomises their left wing liberal ideology and general demur with current going ons ie Grind is Protest. So what happens when Grindcore itself is utilised as a capitalist utensil to fulfil the bourgeoisie agenda of acquiring your pitiful money for their coffers through a daily drug dependency that has been brainwashed as normality in mainstream society?Caffeine, A coffee shop that is called Grindcore House.The reality is I have no marxist nor anarchist agenda nor am I about to torch anything that has damaged the sanctity of the word of our genre, in fact I just want to give a thumbs up to a bunch of people in Philadelphia who had the audacity and ingenuity to name their Coffee House the Grindcore House, it goes without saying that these guys or girls are big on their Grind, and judging from their Vegan only menus they probably give a few spins to Looking for an Answer, Carcass or any other band that promotes the anti-mixed grill sentiment.And If like me meat is just too good to give up have what any man can neigh refuse; pastries albeit dairy free ones. Which the owner claims are some of the best damn pastries you will ever lay your fleshy tongue on. Upon entry patrons will notice some Grind/Metal being pumped into the atmosphere, who doesn't like Behemoth and Coffee in the morning? And with plans for movies (possibly implemented) and a record shop in the basement, they are stepping over the all to identical image and customs of Coffee Houses and creating something intriguing and appealing at the same time. So if I ever find myself in the U.S.A and so happen to be in Philadelphia I will give their coffee and pastries a go, right after I have engorged myself on a double-octo-kingsize-super-whopper burger or whatever it is you guys eat out their.

Tuesday, 5 October 2010

I don't know about elsewhere in the world, but here in the U.K there seems to be some sort of sub-culture of people who relish and over asphyxiate themselves in anything Japanese and attempt to jap themselves up by learning the lingo, buying their computer games, reading the comics and going so far as to squint in photos. Although I have a disregard for such a clique, I can concur with them that Japan is idiosyncratic in every which way possible, which I am sure is the source of their appeal, however my appeal for Japan stems from the music. With great bands like S.O.B., Unholy Grave, F.I.D. and Bathtub Shitter amongst many others, Japan has put its foot in the door and is slowly getting some international recognition in the world of extreme metal, however what goes on behind the scenes was as much of a mystery as how George Bush remembers his name, until now that is. A documentary made by Mark Keller of Tokyo based death metal act Detritum called Japanese Extreme Metal the Documentary, has shed light on this seclusive bastion of the metal underground. So without further rambling I present to you the official description and videos for Japanese Extreme Metal the Documentary.

"A documentary that transcends stereotypes and entrenched perceptions of nationality, society and subcultures. Japanese Extreme Metal: The Documentary is the brainchild of Mark Keller, the singer for the Tokyo based band Detritrum. As it leads you hand in handcuff to the extreme borders and through the grimy trenches of metal in this seemingly most unlikely of hardcore outposts, it reveals the fanaticism with which subcultures are embraced and the lengths to which its followers will go in order to belong and therefore reject. Their rabid devotion at first seems out of place in a land whose image has been formed by the genteel notions of Geisha and the tranquility of temples."

Napalm Deaths Scum did to Grindcore what the 10 Commandments did to Abrahamic religions; laying the most fundamental foundations which without excludes you from association. The musical legacy includes some of Grinds most recognisable trademarks be it the blast beat, down tuned fuzzy churning guitar work, the microsong and the use of hammering together of punk and metal, however an often overlooked feature is the influence of the art work, although no way near as significant as the musical consequences it has some quirky outcomes.

Napalm Death - ScumThe one and only Napalm Death's Scum, released in 1987, the artwork reeks of punk, from all the large company names piled amongst skulls with politicians/fat cats atop them, and an industrial backdrop whilst an ever present and eye catching angel of death accompanies and approves their decisions.

Caninus - WolfpigYes I know I showed you guys this one last time, but this one is too good to leave out, plus my list would be too short without it.Napalm Deaths logo has been replaced with that of Caninus, the elites have had their their service sector mugs replaced with that of dogs, and one can clearly spot the addition of IAMS and ALPO in the list of company billboards, alongside three aggressive looking canines. No love for chihuahuas Caninus?

New York Against the Belzebu - Stunt

Screw marxism and populism, the elites and bourgeoisie are nothing it is the institutional hate mongers that are the real scum, is the message of New York against the Belzebu. There artwork reflects this, altering the dystopian feel of Scum, to that of 250 pixel by 250 pixel image of culprits of demagogy and internal prejudice.

Rotten Sound - Napalm

This Napalm Death tribute through and through, 3 covers, and album title called Napalm in Naplam Death styled font and Scum styled album art.

The album art has adapted to a condensed horror feel and brings the word harpie to mind the moment I look at it.

Defeatist - Sharp Blades Sink Deep Into Dull Minds

Whether or not this was design was based off Scum, I don't know , but its resemblance is too much to leave it off. Defeatist opt for a morbid less metaphorical approach, no need to work out the political mockery for there is none, they just want to show a grim foreboding corrupted death.

Know of any other albums that reflect Napalm Death's Scum, if so let me know and I shall add them to the list. On a side note, but relating to art and the real inspiration for this post, what do you guys think of the new background and logo? The logo was designed by Justin Prentince, a good friend of mine who plays in comical cannibal corpse styled band Necro Turban, check em out. The background was painstakingly designed by moi, featuring a number of albums which came to mind as I went along. Additionally a new forum is present, and much improved you can find it here, or you can click the forum button on the top bar, despite the failure of the last forum I am still determined to create a large Internet community.

I applaud Crucial Blast Beat Terror for their marketing abilities; putting the words Romeroand Blast-beat together, whilst making it freely available is an instant marketing success which will guarantee you a listen from the majority of the Grindcore demography, but this is without a doubt their only strength. The music is below the sub-standard level we like to collectively call rubbish or more politely “Don’t listen to”, I can’t find anything to like in the music, these guy/s manage to make the infamous and ever brilliant blast beat sound like shit, and that really is a sad thing. I feel like I have become a victim of false advertising, aside from having the notion that a band will only release stuff that is good at some level even if it is below average,using the words Romero and Blast Beat we expect a release that really plays on those themes and executes them in a manner worthy of using them. Sadly this is not the case their songs or parts as they like to call them are the most atrocious approach to grindcore I have ever heard; using a combination of terrible cyber and gore factors they manage to put out 8 and a half minutes of total junk music.The vocals are by far the worst thing you will ever hear, a cyberguttural approach which sounds less appealing than the bowel movements of a large animal on laxatives, they really get me worked up and raises the question whether any of the band members have actually heard what they have produced, because if they had why did they bother to release it, I personally would be ashamed to have ever taken part in such a thing and as a saving grace rid the world forever of this heinous crime against humanity.I am very pro freedom of distribution of musical materials via the Internet, but now I am now strongly considering whether we actually should have quality control in place to stop releasing some of the worst media ever. As a general rule of thumb now that the Internet is available without hindrance in most of the western world, you could easily have a de facto idea of quality control through listening what is out their, it seems to me thatCrucial Blast Beat Terror have merely lifted a wikipedia definition of what Goregrind and Cybergrind are and used that as a template to create their own music, having never heard any in the first place. These Swedes have seriously left a terrible stain on what is a great national grindcore export market, these guys are like the anti-nasum, I mean seriously I think these guys have almost killed off the blast beat let alone their nations grind pride, this certainly is a sad day for Grindcore.